


dark red

by Anonymous



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Jeon Wonwoo, Injury Recovery, M/M, Other, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:35:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29654178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Blood. There was blood everywhere.Mingyu had never thought that a person could experience such a crushing fear. He felt as if a sword had pierced his chest. Now, he knew. A feeling he wished he had never tasted.- Wonwoo gets severely injured by a sasaeng.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

Blood. There was blood everywhere. 

Mingyu had never thought that a person could experience such a crushing fear. He felt as if a sword had pierced his chest. Now, he knew. A feeling he wished he had never tasted. 

Sometimes life can change in the blink of an eye. You miss a beat, you don't pay attention for a moment, and bam! Over and done with. 

Mingyu felt incredibly sick, his whole body was shaking and his stomach was turning, he couldn't breathe, his heart was racing, wanting to burst his ribs. Someone screamed, someone else pushed him roughly aside and he stumbled, almost falling to the ground, if arms hadn't caught him. He was useless. His body was useless. Everything was useless.

And everything was red. And everything was loud, but Wonwoo ... Wonwoo was completely still. Calm. Lying there, unmoving. 

Five minutes ago he had been laughing at Mingyu's dad joke and now he was ... just lying there. Draped as if it was all just a photo shoot, but a photo shoot didn't require having a giant knife sticking out of your stomach. 

Time stood still before Mingyu's eyes. Flowed viscously like honey, poisonous honey. He was in shock. Someone next to him was talking on the phone. Somehow he recognized Seungcheol, who knelt by Wonwoo, but his face was strangely blurred. When Mingyu touched his cheek, he realized he was crying. He was crying. It all looked so fake. This was a movie. A very, very bad horror movie.

"He's still breathing!" Seungcheol. Suddenly Jeonghan was there too.

"We mustn't move him." Desperation. Like cold ice in his veins. 

"Oh fuck, how did this happen?" Someone sobbed heartbreakingly, but Mingyu didn't know who. It might as well have been himself. But all he saw was Wonwoo. Pale and red. 

Why was it that time was ticking way too fast when something bad happened and way too slow after it was over?

"The ambulance is on its way." Soonyoung.

"I'll ask if there's a doctor around here somewhere." That was ... probably Jihoon. Mingyu wasn't sure. They all sounded the same to his ears.

Someone touched him on the arm, Mingyu winced.

"Hey, Gyu. Come sit down." Joshua took his hand - blood-stained, as Mingyu realized with horror - and Mingyu followed the command like a will-free puppet. Sitting down on the floor, he leaned his back against the wall. His breaths were ragged, shaky. 

"Wonwoo, can you hear me? Wonwoo, help is coming, okay? Look at me! That's it, that's it, that's it. Don't fall asleep. You can't fall asleep now."

Why was it that time was ticking way too fast when something bad happened and way too slow after it was over?

"The ambulance is on its way." Soonyoung.

"I'll ask if there's a doctor around here somewhere." That was ... probably Jihoon. Mingyu wasn't sure. They all sounded the same to his ears.

Someone touched him on the arm, Mingyu winced.

"Hey, Gyu. Come sit down." Joshua took his hand - blood-stained, as Mingyu realized with horror - and Mingyu followed the command like a will-free puppet. Sitting down on the floor, he leaned his back against the wall. His breaths were ragged, shaky. 

"Wonwoo, can you hear me? Wonwoo, help is coming, okay? Look at me! That's it, that's it, that's it, brave boy, stay with me. Don't fall asleep. You can't fall asleep now."

Maybe Mingyu just needed to close his eyes for a moment. Then he would wake up and it would be morning again. Right, he had only fallen asleep for a short moment. Had forgotten to set a second alarm. In a second he would wake up and get up and make breakfast and forget this nightmare, sitting at the table with the others, talking, laughing. 

In a moment, it would all be over. He would wake up and Wonwoo's blood would no longer drip from his fingers.

Mingyu waited. But nothing happened.


	2. Chapter 2

Mingyu didn't know what was worse: hearing the shaken, terrified voices of the other members, or the fact that Wonwoo didn't respond at all. After Mingyu had found him lying there in the restroom in his own blood, Wonwoo hadn't spoken a word. The last had been a breathed _Gyu_. Horror flooded Mingyu's body as he suddenly thought that his name might be Wonwoo's last word ever. 

He felt even more nauseous, if that was even possible, but today everything was different, everything was possible, and he collapsed forward. He would probably have hit the floor like a bag of flour if Joshua beside him hadn't noticed it in time and immediately caught him with both arms and carefully leaned him back against the wall.  
Mingyu turned to look at Joshua. There were tears glistening in Joshua's eyes, but he kept it together. Was much better at it than Mingyu.

Mingyu wiped those damn tears from his cheek that just wouldn't stop flowing and whispered, "I'm okay, help the others." He winced as his voice sounded so small and broken.

Joshua put a hand on his arm and shook his head. "One of the advantages of having so many members is that at times like this, there are enough of us there so that you can take care of everyone." Joshua paused as Soonyoung knelt down to join them, his expression somewhat distraught, but he made an effort to keep his breathing calm. He didn't want to be alone either and sought their closeness. In the background, Seungcheol and Jeonghan could constantly be heard still talking to Wonwoo, but their voices were becoming more urgent by the second. More desperate. Mingyu smelled the blood staining his skin. 

Joshua noticed his troubled expression. "I'll be right back. Soonyoung is here, Minygu. Okay?" Joshua stood up and went off into the ladies' room, returning only a moment later with a damp paper and took Mingyu's hand. Gently, he wiped the dried blood from Mingyu's fingers as Jun joined them. No one wanted to be too far away. It was as if they all wanted to give strength to Wonwoo by just staying close to him. Mingyu felt a chill. He thought of the warm blood. His fingers trembled and Soonyoung pulled him into a hug to provide support for both of them, and Mingyu's large body was suddenly very small in his arms.

At some point, Seokmin returned with a strange man in tow - presumably the doctor Jihoon wanted to find - and Mingyu sent a quick prayer to heaven to please get the damn ambulance to arrive.

It took a long time. A period of time in which Mingyu aged decades from anxiety and fear for Wonwoo, yet barely ten minutes had passed in the present.

Exhausted, he raised his head as he heard the hurried footsteps, sharp orders cutting through the tension in the air. The medics were working quickly. They said quite clearly that there was not much they could do except get Wonwoo to the hospital as quickly as possible. He was put on a stretcher, they exited the room, and then ... they were just gone. Wonwoo was just gone. And there, in the restroom was a sea of blood and Mingyu was convinced that was way too much, but what did he know anyway. He wanted to get to Wonwoo. Didn't want Wonwoo to disappear, he needed to see him, needed to feel him. Make sure he was still alive.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan had gone with the medics and Wonwoo. Joshua meanwhile was talking to their manager on the phone and Jihoon was coherent enough to talk to one of the employees of the café they were in. The police would be here soon. But who had done it? Who had such a hatred for Wonwoo, about whom there was nothing you could hate, that he had thought it was okay to stab him. With a damn kitchen knife almost as long as Mingyu's forearm. Anger boiled up inside him.

Somewhere out there was this psychopath running around on the loose, spearing people, and they had no idea where he was or why he was doing it, or why he had targeted Wonwoo first.

Mingyu wanted answers. But more than that, he wanted Wonwoo to live.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tell us what happened, Kim Mingyu." The female police officer's voice was gentle. The kind you immediately wanted to pour your heart out to. Her colleague was more of the statue-out-of-ice breed.

Mingyu's mouth moved, but he was at a loss for words. What was there for him to say? Only that he had seen a lot of blood. Nothing else. Blood. Not helpful for their investigation.

"I-, I ...there was nothing weird going on when we entered the coffee shop. He told me he was going to the restroom for a minute, and when he hadn't returned after fifteen minutes, I got a bad feeling," Mingyu stuttered, hands fiddling restlessly with his sleeves. Joshua moved next to him and took his hand.

The woman gave a stern nod, professional smile on her face, and made some notes on a tablet.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mingyu saw Jihoon making a phone call. Maybe with Seungcheol? Was there any news? Mingyu wanted to ask.

"You didn't notice anyone walking by when you found your friend?" His gaze jerked back to the woman. He didn't want to talk to her. He didn't know anything after all, this was a waste of time.

Time in which Mingyu's abuser could choose his next target. 

"No. I wasn't able to see much else at that moment." he spat out the words. A touch too bitter. He knew the cops had to do their job, but he just wanted to get it over with.

"Okay." Second nod. "You guys can go. Here, our business card. We'll be contacting you over the next few days for further questioning."

Mingyu stared at the business card. 'Why, I don't know anything,' he wanted to scream in her face. 

Joshua took his shoulders and together they left the scene, all standing outside the coffee shop. Somehow lost. Somehow terribly lost. Horror on their faces, fear on their tongues, terror in their eyes. Mingyu knew they all had the same image in their minds. Mingyu knew that none of them could realize it. It was beyond real. His body was trembling again.

"Manager is about to pick us up. He's on his way," said Soonyoung.

"Are we going to the hospital?" Seokmin kicked an empty can off the sidewalk. Way too angry. And Seokmin was never angry, ever.

Minghao had not said a single word. Just clung apathetically to Jun, who clung apathetically to Joshua.

The cars roared by, much too loud. The sun on this spring day shone down on them, much too bright. Everything was much too normal. Out here, there was peace, in there, in the restroom, there was war.

A phone rang and Jihoon answered it. All eyes turned to him as he greeted Seungcheol. Jihoon didn't say much, just nodded, nodded another time.

"Okay. Thanks for letting us know." He hung up. Everyone fell silent, he took three deep breaths. Looked everyone in the face. "They've arrived at the hospital. Wonwoo is in surgery now, but they haven't told Seungcheol anything about his condition."

"Why?" Vernon. Mingyu had completely forgotten that Vernon was even here. "Why Wonwoo?" Tears welled up in Vernon's eyes, despair filled his voice.

"That is a question we must not ask ourselves for now." Seungkwan pulled Vernon into his arms, who started sobbing in response. 

Their manager pulled up and they climbed into the black van. It seemed like a funeral limousine to Mingyu. Everything was gray, his world was gray, because Wonwoo's blood had taken all colors with it.

They sat there and were silent. Mingyu only heard the sniffling of his friends, he himself had no more tears left. Silence. Was it so quiet in Wonwoo, as well? Did he feel alone?

No one called again, then they reached the hospital. A big concrete block. Inside, lives were saved, inside, lives were ended. Daily. Which way would Wonwoo choose? The way to the sun.

The way to life. Soonyoung grabbed his hand and they all went in together.


	4. Chapter 4

The smell of humans and disease was everywhere. No matter how many liters of disinfectant had been poured over everything. It was everywhere. Mingyu instinctively wanted to flee. And yet he was magnetically attracted to this place. Wonwoo was here. He was here. 

Mingyu looked neither right nor left as they followed their manager down the corridors. Because when he looked at a face, he thought it was Wonwoo. Whether it was the six-year-old child with the broken arm or the old geezer in the wheelchair. The terror was wearing down his mind. 

Jun next to him pressed his hand to his mouth and was pale as a sheet. Minghao was quietly comforting him, but he looked like he wanted to throw himself into someone's arms and cry. So Mingyu looked at Jihoon. Then to Joshua. To Jihoon. Those two seemed the most reliable to him. He had to hold onto their backs with his gaze to keep himself from drowning. Too many violent feelings in too little space - and it didn't get any better. Because the waiting room they were led into was bare. Cold. White and stained. Two ugly pictures on the wall and a vending machine with coffee so bitter and watery that it would send you straight to the emergency room if you took just one sip too much. 

Seungcheol and Jeonghan sat there, on cheap plastic chairs. Seungcheol was a shadow of his former self. Head sunken, hands restless, gaze blank and fluttering. Jeonghan had an arm draped around his shoulder and was staring at one of the dozens of brown spots on the wall. But did not see them. Mingyu could guess what he was seeing, for it had been the two of them who had been at Wonwoo's side the whole time. Mingyu could not imagine the terror in their minds. Didn't want to.

"Any news yet?" asked Jihoon the question everyone here wanted to know the answer to as they all sat down. Jeonghan reacted a few seconds too late, Jihoon's voice only slowly seeping into his mind. He shook his head. Depressed. Tired. Dark eyes looked at Jihoon. Eyes that had seen too much.

"No."

"How long has ... has he been in there?" asked Dino. Brave Maknae. He was holding his own; he had really grown up. 

Seungcheol awoke from his numbness and glanced at his watch. "Half an hour." Mingyu wished that he could comfort the older one. Reassure him that he had done a good job as a leader. But somehow it all seemed meaningless to him until he didn't know how Wonwoo was holding up. Because he felt so, so guilty. If only he had checked on him sooner. If only he had gone with him. Fate would have taken a different direction. Of course, it was too late for such thoughts now. But guilt was an ugly feeling. A bloody shadow that clung to his back and could not be shaken off. Whispered in his ear. 'Guilty, Mingyu. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.'

"Anyone want coffee?" asked Seokmin. Wanted to somehow keep himself sane through doing whatever. Half of them shook their heads. His voice echoed off the walls far too loudly. Like being locked in a white prison.

Time was passing. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Jun and Minghao had fallen asleep, Jun curled up in Minghao's lap. Four hours. Seungcheol's nerves snapped and he left the room with Jeonghan. Five hours. Mingyu went to the bathroom with Joshua - fuck, would he ever dare go anywhere alone again? - and held his head under the icy water in the sink. Six hours. After six fucking hours, the door finally opened and a doctor entered the room.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a sucker for angst (and comments, please talk to me people, that would be great).


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